Candlemaking method and machine



Oct 10, 1944. K. RAU CANDLE MAKING METHOD AND MACHINE Filed April 16, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR K A R L R. H u

ATTORNEY Oct. 10, 1944. K. RAU

CANDLE MAKING METHOD AND MACHINE Filed April 16, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR K A R L Ra u RNEY operation mentioned above:

wicking and sheet fuel stock with which incor- Patented Oct. 10, 1944 UNITED srA'rEs 2,300,215 cannmmxmc METHOD AND mcnmn Kari Ban, Medina, Ohio, assignor to The A. 1. Root Company, Medina, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 16, 1942, Serial No. 439,209

1'! Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and machine for making candles by wrapping respective sheets of fuel material on themselves, as around respective wicks, in close coils, and also relates to further treatment of candle blanks, so formed, in making the same into finished candies. The above indicates the general object.

The present method and machine is adapted for making candles of the type shown in United States Patent 1,863,416 to H. H. Root, issued June 14, 1932 (owned by the assignee hereof). In making candles according to said patent, fuel material in sheet form has, prior hereto, always been spirallywrapped on itself as by rollingup into continuous layers by hand. The customary procedure has been to lay a strip of wicking on one margin of a horizontally supported flat sheet of fuel material (e. g. beeswax) and then to roll up the sheet on itself along the upport, thus embedding the wick centrally of the candle so made. Particularly in making fairly long candles by that method, great care must be exercised in placing the wick parallel to the edge of the sheet and in applying the rolling pressure, for otherwise the resulting candles are not 'properly shaped and may be of non-uniform density at different regions endwise thereof. Sometimes, also, the wick-'-which is usually stuck or tacked to the wax sheet at various places after being laid on the sheet-is of uneven tension at differly combined or associated with the fuel all along the candle; the candles will be generally of higher quality, and can be made available to the public at less cost.

Specific objects include provision of a new and improved method of: (a) continuously associating wicking with candle fuel material in sheet form prior to performing the wrapping (b). cutting the V ing the rolled candle blanks to form burning tips thereon with the wicks projecting therefrom.

Other objects and'feature of the invention will become apparent from th following description of the method and machine shown more or cut parts .of the candle lengthwise of it or is less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings. The essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a. diagrammatic 5 perspective view showing the manner in which the fuel stock and wicking are supplied, advanced and treated for assemblage of the wick with the sheet fuel stock, cutting to unit lengths and heating prior to rolling; Fig. 2 is a similar perspective, from a different point of view, showing further treatment and feeding of assembled units and rolling thereof into rough candle blanks; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the wick inserting process and mechanism more in detail;

15 Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing only the manner in which the sheet stock is folded continuously onto and around the wick in the machine but omitting the mechanism for doing it; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the wick inserting mechanismrFig. 6 is a sectional view thereof as indicated at 6-8 on Fig. -5; Fig. 'l is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of a pair of cutting dies for trimming the rough blanks after rolling, Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side of a completed candle of cylindrical form, and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a sheet of fuel stock with wicking assembled therein at opposite edges and showing how such sheet and wicking would be cut to maketapered candles by the mechanism hereof substantially as shown.

The method and machin shown are particularly adapted to make candies of cylindrical form from rectangular pieces of sheet fuel stock. The principles would apply equally well in case of making tapered candles from sheet or strip fuel stock (e. g. as in H. H. Root Patent 1,937,393 issued November-28, 1933) since, in general, the only changerequired is in respect to the shape in which the pieces are cut from the strip. Sheeted wax could, of course, be cut to any desired shape other than rectangular in the present machine and .in accordance with the present method.

sheet or strip form is shown at l, the free portion 2 of the sheet or strip as taken from the roll having been inserted through a guide 3 and laid onto the upper pass of a flexibl conveyor belt 4 as 'a first operation. The belt I may be carried on suitable rollers 5 and 5 one of which is suitably driven as by a motor and gearing (or drive belting) on a main frame of the machine. The upports for the rollers, the driving mechanism and supporting arrangements for other moving parts of the mechanism are omitted from the drawings, being conventional in the class of machine shown. In order to assist in maintaining the upper face of the belt 4 substantially co flat, the upper pass of said belt may slide over a elevation showing the upper or tip end portion Referring to Fig. 1, a supply roll of wax in table or be provided with a series of supporting idler rollers (not shown).

Assuming the belt roller 5 is appropriately driven counterclockwise at uniform speed, the portion 2 of the wax sheet will be advanced to the left by the upper pass of the belt 5. A suitable number of vertically floating rollers i may be provided to hold the wax sheet in contact with the belt. Central shafts of the rollers l ride in vertical guideways not shown; and the weight of said rollers is sufficient to prevent slippage.

between the wax sheet stock and the supporting belt.

A supply of wicking is shown as carried on a spool 8 and a strand of wicking s from thelspool is guided into proper contact with atop marginai portion of the wax sheet at an assembling mech anism indicated generally at ill. Said mecha nism ID will be fully described later in connection with Figs. 3, 5 and 6, but, for the present it will be borne in mind that a marginal portion of the wax sheet is folded progressively and continuously over the strand of wicking and gripped securely enough by a tubular fold of the war:

so that after the wick inserting process has been started it continues until the supply oi wax orgenerally indicated at it where the sheet and the wicking are cut into lengths corresponding to the candle blanks to be rolled therefrom. The assembled strip of wax sheet and wicking (indicated at I3) is delivered by the belt 6 over a divided fixed table having spaced sections it and l'5 between which a pair of heated shear blades l6 and I? operate to out both was: and wick at a location determined by the position oi the leading edge of the sheet portion to be cut. Each shear blade may be heated by an electrical resistance strip heater fastened thereto (not shown). The cut sections, Iii, are further advanced to the left by power driven conveyer belting shown as paired spaced apart endless belt strips 22 carried on suitable rollers. As shown the belts 22 have a common driving roller 2 3, supporting rollers 25 and 26 and a tensioning idler takeup roller 27. To avoid sticking of the wax to the two belts 22, the belts are preferably made of cloth webbing. The belts run under a heater, to be described presently, (for conditioningthe wax for rolling), and when subjected (as by occasional dripping) to hot wax the web material tends to stretch,hence the rather long loops in the belts and special tension takeup roll 21.

The belts 22 are driven slightly faster than the belt 4 so that, as soon as each section of stock 19 is severed from the oncoming strip pertion IS, a gap is formed between the severed edges due to the overtravel on part of the belts 22 which start to advance the severed strip sections I! as soon as the latter are cut on. The gap cooperateswith the space between the belts 22 to enable control of the cut-oil mechanism by a photo-electric cell switch.

In the shear mechanism shown, only one-blade requires a. cutting stroke (e. g. blade I). The

cooperating blade I! may be suitably secured in fixed position with its cutting edge slightly below the plane of the table lfi-lt. The blade 16 (in appropriate vertical guides, not shown) can normally be held, as by a spring 28, poised over the strip stock l3. A pair of cam rollers 29 (one shown) are arranged on a cross shaft 3t, mounted above the table i'll, so as to depress the shear blade l6 and cut the wax sheet and wick whenever a single rotation clutch it, connected to the shaft 3d, operates.

The control arm 32 of the clutch it is normally blocked against counterclockwise rotation by a movable abutment or latch 33; formed by a core or core extension of a solenoid Elemerits 35 and 38 of a known type of photo-electric cell switch apparatus, including a relay (not shown), are positioned so that a beam of light is projected from one element to the other across the path of the oncoming strip it of fuel stock. Establishment of the light beam loads a condenser of the relay, and breaking of the beam causes discharge of the condenser load and operation of the relay to efiect a single instantaneous impulse of the solenoid '36 for tripping the latch 33. The latch after releaseoi the clutch arm is immediately returned, as by a spring, to initial position. Thus the gap which is formed between the last out piece it of the strip stock and the oncoming strip l3 conditions the electrical apparatus for operation; and the leading edge of the uncut strip causes completion of the operation and actuation of the shearing mechanism to out each piece it the same length.

The out pieces it of wax sheet and marginally contained wicks are carried along by the upper stretches of the belts 22 with the upper faces of the wax sheets exposed to heat radiated downwardly by electric heater coils dd in fixed boxlike housings 4| which are open ontheir under sides. The heater coils may be mounted length= wise in the housings; and the inner walls or" the boxes direct the radiated heat downwardly onto the wax sheets sufiiciently uniformly so that each sheet,'as delivered from the belts 22, is sumclently tacky and plastic so that rolling of the same into cylindrical candle blanks can be efiected immediately with good results. The de= livered wick and sheet assemblies can now be taken from the belts 22 and rolled up by hand with considerable advantage (as formerly done) since possibly the most critical operation (em velopment of wick in a single turn or fold of the Preferably, however, for reasons previously discussed, the rolling is completed by the progressively acting rolling mechanism hereof, generally indicated at 45, Fig. l, to be described later herein.

Referring again to the mechanism it; said mechanism folds one edge of the wax sheet into a tube around the continuously supplied'wicking 9 and tacks the adjacent overlapped portions of the wax sheet to each other, as best shown by Figs. 3 to 6; snugly enveloping the wicking prior to cutting.

A fixture ill of the mechanism In comprising an upright plate BI and base rail 52 is supported by the machine frame with the lower surface of the base rail close to the wax sheet and inwardly from the near edge thereof as shown best in FBI. 6. The plate 5| carries a tubular guide device I! for leading the wick under the fixture where it is further guided by a groove 54 (formed the fixture the wicking is pressed into contact with the sheet as mentioned.

To avoid sticking of the wax against the adjacent surfaces of the fixture 50 with which it comes into contact, the fixture is heated as by an electric heater element 56 of conventional form secured to one side of theplate I.

The marginal edge of the wax strip portion 2 is gradually elevated as it passes the fixture 50 preferably by a slightly inclined shaft 51 supported in suitable bearings (not shown) adjacent the fixtureifl, parallel to th near edge of the belt 4, and continuously driven fairly rap idl in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon, in Fig. 3. The shaft 51 may be prevented from sticking to the wax by continuously applying oil to the shaft as by an oiling gland strip 58 bearing on the shaft along the same opposite the edge of the wax strip raised by the shaft. At the upper free end of the shaft a conically enlarged portion 59 thereof finally turns the raised edge margin of the wax strip further inwardly so that the margin overhangs a flat tongue 60 projecting from the rail 52 in the direction in which the wax and wick leave the fixture 50. The wicking passes alongside the tongue '60 and is held thereby against being pushed out of position toward the main body of the wax strip during the next ensuing operation.

As the wax strip leaves the enlarged end portion 59 of the shaft 51 its raised. edge portion is inclined inwardly over the tongue 60 and the raised portion then encounters a peripheral surface of a disc wheel 6! on a vertically supported positively driven shaft 62. The wheel or disc Ed has a rounded lower corner surface 63 and turns in the direction of the arrow shown on the peripheral face. The under surface of the disc 68 partly overhangs the tongue 60 and is spaced upwardly therefrom a distance corresponding approximately to the thickness of the wax sheet stock. As the upwardly and inwardly inclined oncoming margin of the wax strip encounters the disc wheel 6! the peripheral surface and rounded "corner" of the latter turns said margin down over the top face of the tongue Bil, forming the wax strip into an open channel 65 embracing the tongue and in which the Wicking is temporarily maintained by the tongue.

The channeled portion 65 of the wax strip then passes to a presser roller 66 mounted over the channeled portion, beyond the disc wheel M, which presser roller is peripherally stepp d at 61 and otherwise so shaped as to force the free portion of the channel downwardly around the wicking and tightly against th underlying wax sheet, welding the free edge thereto. The roller 86 applies enough pressure to seal the wicking tightly into place, acting to form the wax into a closed tube or bead 68 closely embracing the wlcking. The presser roller 66 is mounted for vertical floating movement over the conveyor belt 4 (on guides not shown) and the cut away portion 61 of the presser roller cooperates with a side guide plate 59 which makes contact with the side of the bead 68 lying remotely of th main portion of the wax strip.

It should be noted that in case the sheet fuel stock is beeswax or a blend of fuel material which is largely beeswax or similar tacky substance it is advisable either to use (moistened) waterabsorptive material for parts that com into rolling contact with the wax under some pressure or (as in case of metal and sliding contact) to heat the contacting surfaces of such parts or oil them continuously. The rollers l are preferably cloth covered and moistened prior to starting the operation of the machine.

Referring again to Fig. 2, the cut sections of candle stock l9 can be delivered from the belts 22 and cooperating conveyor means directly into the bight of a pair of endless rolling belts m and II which roll up the candle blanks. Preferably, however, the cut sections are inspected on both sides prior to effecting the rolling operation. An operator, for example takes the sections from the belts 22 and turns them over and lays them,

bead foremost, onto the upper stretch of the belt Ill which extends forwardly from the lower stretch of the belt II' the necessary distance to support the sections l9 as at the left in Fig. 2.

The belts Ill and H ar driven at different speeds, with the adjacent stretches moving in the same direction, 1. e. to the right, Fig. 2. One belt, e. g., 10 is carried on fixed supporting rollers 12 and 13 at opposite ends of the belt loops and additional rollers Hi, if necessary, supporting the top stretch. The belt 10 should be moved a little faster than the belts 22 so as to insure that the rolling process will not lag behind the supply of stock from the belts 22. The other belt (H) of the rolling pair is driven still faster in order to effect the rolling operation. The upper belt H is carried on one fixed (but vertically adjustable) roller '85 and one vertically floating roller 16. The roller 16 is supported on parallel arms ll'l (one shown) pivoted on the axis of the roll 15, as about the supporting shaft of the latter. Adjustable supporting abutments are provided (as at 18, one shown) for the free ends of the arms H to prevent the belt ll from scraping on the belt 10 when no candle is being rolled.

At the roll I5, the two rolling belts are separated substantially the thickness of the wick-containing bead or tube 63 of the stock so that, as

soon as the bead makes contact with the belt H,

the rolling commences. Fig. 2 shows, at 19, a. partially rolled candle blank. The arms Ti raise automatically as the cylinder gets larger, but maintain substantially uniform rolling pressure. The rolled blanks are delivered from between the belts i0 and H into a suitable container (not shown), as over an inclined chute down which the blanks roll. I

The sections I9, if out with one edge slightly oblique or diagonally (as by chopping'out a nar row triangular piece from the strip) could be rolled with a generally tapered tip. When the stock is not so treated the rolled cylindrical blanks are preferably cut, at one end, between a pair of dies such as suggested in Fig. 7 (showing, at 85, one die of a pair). The dies have cutting edges 86 and both have (or at least one has) a central recess 81 to receive the wick and prevent it from being cut or crushed. The tip is later finished, as to the shape shown at 88 in Fig. 8, in a hot die. Also the candle is made truly cylindrical (if that is the desired shape) by pushing the rolled blank through a tubular cylindrical heated die.

In making tapered candles, two strips of wicking can be enveloped respectively in opposite edge portions of a strip of sheet fuel stock as indicated at 90, Fig. 9,'substantially in accordance with the above descriptions. The sheet fuel strip can be 'cut as at 98 into rectangular pieces and then later right in Fig. 2.

Since the rolling, as done in the rolling mechanism 85 escribed above, is a function of the difierential motion of the two belts l and ill, it will be seen that a rigid supporting table could be substituted for the belt 10, at least so far as the actual rolling operation is concerned. The

table (not shown) could be mounted as on wheels or rollers so that, after placing the wax sheet and wick assembly on the table, the latter would be pushed, as by hand, under the belt 1! the necessary distance to carry the wick-containing tube or head 68' of wax into frictional contact with rolling belt H. Instead of placing the wax sheet on the support, bead foremost, as illustrated, the sheet could be placed with the thin edge foremost in which event the rolling would commence after the flat (unbeaded) portion of the wax sheet had passed under the belt H. In the event of supporting the sheet and wick assembly on a movable table the same can be returned (e. g. automatically) slowly to-original position as soon as the rolling starts, so as to be repositioned promptly for receiving the next sheet to be rolled. The onlyadvantage in placing the wax sheet with the bead 68 in trailing position is that then the wax sheet does not have at any time to slide on the support.

I claim:

1. A method of making candles, comprising:

' continuously assembling strip sheet fuel stock and strip wicking, with the wicking disposed'along one longitudinal edgeof the strip stock, cutting the assembled strips and wicking into approximate candle length units, serially conveying the units while applying heat to the sheet fuel stock to increase adherence and pliability thereof, and then spirally wrapping each of the fuel stock sheets on itself about the wick as a center.

2. A method of making candles, comprising: feeding and conveying sheet fuel stock and wicking in continuous strip form in the same direction, with the wicking adjacent one margin of the fuel strip inwardly from the edge of the latter, continuously folding a marginal portion of the fuel strip around the wicking, cutting the astially to complete the formation of the candles.

3. A method of making candles, comprising:

' feeding and conveying sheet fuel stock and wicking in continuous strip form in the same direction, with the wicking adjacent one marginof the fuel strip inwardly from the edge of the latter, continuously folding a marginal portion of the fuel strip around the wicking, cutting the assembled fuel strip and wicking into approximate candle length units, conveying the units serially from the point of cutting while applying heat to the units to condition the stock for greater adherence and pllability, and then spirally wrapping the cut sheet fuel stock of said units about the cut wicks thereof as centers substantially to complete the formation of the candles.

4. The method of rolling a sheet of pliable fuel stock such as beeswax into a candle blank, comprising: laying wicking alongone straight edge of the sheet and folding said edge over the wicking to form an enlarged marginal bead attached to the sheet, placing the sheet on a generally flat surface moving in a predetermined direction and in position such that the enlarged bead constitutes the leading edge of the sheet thereby moving the sheet and causing the bead thereof to be brought into'frictional contact with a friction surface traveling more rapidly in the same direction and spaced above the supporting surface, whereby to roll up the sheet on the supporting surface about the wicking as a center.

5. The method of rolling a sheet of pliable fuel stock such as beeswax into a candle blank, comprising: treating the sheet so that it has a generally cylindrical bead along one straight edge of the sheet, placing the sheeton a generally fiat surface, moving said surface transversely of the axis of the bead to convey the bead into frictional contact with a surface generally parallel to the supporting surface and traveling relative to the supported sheet in the direction of conveyance aforesaid whereby to roll up the sheet about the head as a center.

6. In a machine for assembling wicking and sheet candle fuel stock of pliable nature, a conveyor belt and cooperating means adapted continuously to advance a strip of sheet fuel stock, a guide for the wicking arranged to conduct the wicking substantially into contact with the moving fuel strip near an edge thereof overhanging the belt, elevating means extendingadjacent the belt generally parallel therewith and inclined upwardly into a position beyond the upper face of the belt so as continuously to raise the overhanging edge portion of the fuel strip and move it inwardly toward the wick, and folding mechanism disposed beyond the elevating means in the direction of travel of the stock for turning the raised portion of the strip over onto the wick. 7. Mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the elevating means is a. continuously rotated shaft inclined as specified and the folding mechanism comprises a disc rotating in a generally horizontal plane for turning the raised edge portion of the strip inwardly over the wicking and a presser roller therebeyond shaped in a manner to force the inwardly turned portion down around the wicking.

8. Mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the guide for the wicking has a horizontal tongue projecting therefrom in the direction of travel of the fuel strip stock and along .one side of which the wicking passes and is held substantially against the fuel strip, and the folding mechanism,

is adapted and arranged to turn the raised edge portion of the fuel strip inwardly over the tongue.

9. In a machine for preparing candle fuel stock in sheet strip form and wickingin strip form for rolling or wrapping as described, in combination: a conveyor for advancing the fuel strip, an assembling device adjacent the conveyor operative to 'in the same direction as the first conveyor moves the fuel strip stock but slightly faster in order to separate the trailing edge of a cut unit from the leading edge of oncoming fuel strip and form a gap therebetween, and photoelectrically controlled means operatively connected with the cutting mechanism and rendered operative by said gap to effect cutting.

10. In a candle making machine, a conveyor arranged to move continuous sheet strip fuel stock lengthwise, a guide for continuous wicklng, mechanism adjacent the guide and operative continuously to attach the wicklng to a marginal portion of the strip, a cutting mechanism beyond the folding mechanism and operative for severing the strip and wicklng into candle lengths, apparatus for rendering the cutting mechanism active including a photo-electrically operated tripping deviceand means for projecting a control beam of light across the path of the strip so that the leading end of the strip can interrupt said beam, another conveyor having supporting means for the strip disposed out of alignment with said beam so as not to interrupt the beam, the second conveyor operating to draw the severed strip from the first conveyor and to advance the same more rapidly than the first conveyor feeds the strip whereby to cause a gap which clears the path of said light beam between each last severed piece of strip stock and the leading edge of the oncoming unsevered strip, and means acting to render the tripping device operative upon presentation of said leading edge across the path of the light beam.

11. In a candle making machine, mechanism for associating strip fuel stock in sheet form with wicklng in strip form so that the wicklng is enveloped in a bead at one edge of a fuel sheet, a conveyor adapted to support the fuel sheet and wick assembly and move the same along a fixed path extending transverse to the wicklng,

a belt having a stretch moving adjacent and generally parallel to said path, means to support 13. In a candle making machine adapted to form a candle body or blank from a sheet of fuel stock having a wick associated therewith in a tubular edge fold of said stock, a pair of endless belts having respective adjacent generally parallel stretches, respective means for driving said adjacent stretches at different speeds in the same direction, one of said stretches extending beyond the stretch of the other lengthwise thereof to provide a receiving support for the-sheet of fuel stock and wick with the tubular edge fold crosswise of said stretches, the other stretch being the more rapidly driven and positioned frictionally to engage the tubular fold as advanced by the supporting stretch for rolling the sheet about said fold as described.

a loop of the belt defining one end of said stretch thereof so that a surface of the belt adiacent said means can encounter the bead frictionally in a manner tending to roll the remainder of the sheet around the bead, and means to support another portion of said belt stretch in such manner that the stretch can separate from the conveyor surface increasing distances while maintaining substantialiy uniform pressure on. the rolled body of fuel 'stllp as the body grows large 12. In a candle making machine adapted to roll a candle body-or blank from 'a sheet of fuel stock having a wick associated therewith in a straight tubular edge fold of the fuel stock. a

member having a generally flat and generally horizontally disposed supporting surface for receiving the fuel sheet, a flexible endless belt driven lengthwise and having a stretch generally parallel to the supporting surface above the same and extending at right angles to said tubular fold as placed on the supp rting surface. and means for moving said member with the sheet supported thereon into juxtaposition with said belt stretched inamannertobrlnathotubularfoldandssid belt stretch together into frictional contact.

' ing in' a predetermined direction and so that the- 14. The improvement in a known process of making candles from pliable sheet fuel stock, adjacent spiral turns of which adhereto each other 'to constitute the candle fuelbody, said improvement comprising associating wicklng with such stock as follows: simultaneously advancing a strip of the sheet fuel stock lengthwise of itself and a strip of wicklng lengthwise of itself and lying along one edge of the strip of fuel stock in uniformly spaced relation to such edge; progressively turning the outlying marginal portion of the sheet over the wicklng and beyond the same; and progressively applying to thus relatively superimposed portions of the fuel stock, continuously therealong, suflicient pressure to cause said portions to adhere to each other and uniformly envelop the wicklng in atubular head or marginal loop of fuel stock.

15. The improvement according to claim 14 further characterized in that the pressure applied to saidsuperimposed fuel stock portions is sufliciently close to the enveloped wick so that the wick becomes uniformly and snugly embedded by the fuel stock of the tubular bead for the entire length thereof.

16. In a candle making machine adapted to roll a candle body or blank from a sheet of fuel stock having a wick associated therewith in a straight.

tubular edge fold of the fuel stock, a flexible endless belt, means to maintain a portion of the belt in position to constitute a generally flat support-, ting surface for the fuel sheet, a flexible endless belt driven lengthwise and having a stretch generally. parallel to the supporting surface and extending at right angles to said tubular fold as placed in contact with the supporting surface, and means for driving the belts so that their adjacent stretches move in the same direction but with the second mentioned belt traveling faster than said supporting surface whereby to roll the blank on the latter about said tubular fold.

17. The method of forming a sheet of pliable fuel stock such as beeswax into a candle blank,

comprising: folding a relatively narrow marginal edge portion of the sheet about a wick, placing the sheet on a generally flat supporting surface movwick containing portion constitutes the. leading edge of the sheet as conveyed by said surface, thereby movlg said portion into frictional contact with afrlction surface traveling more rapidly in thesame direction and spaced above but generally parallel to the supporting surface, whereby to roll up the sheeton the supporting surface substantially about as a center.

. I KABLRAU' 

